Democrats wrested control of the Senate from Republicans Wednesday with an upset victory in Virginia, giving the party complete domination of Capitol Hill for the first time since 1994, as NBC News projected Democrat Jim Webb as the winner.

Webb’s apparent squeaker win over incumbent Sen. George Allen gave Democrats their 51st seat in the Senate, an astonishing turnabout at the hands of voters unhappy with Republican scandal and unabated violence in Iraq. Allen was the sixth Republican incumbent senator defeated in Tuesday’s elections.

Thanks to the people of Virginia, everyone who helped by donating or supporting Senator Elect Webb’s campaign and Senator Kerry for throwing his full support behind Jim Webb early on in the campaign!

The Democratic victory puts Senator Harry Reid in line to become Senate majority leader, unless of course the rumor pans out that Reid was willing to pass the position over to Hillary Clinton and she decides to takes. Slim chance.

21 Responses to Democrats Win Control of Senate!

I can’t help but think of the national Democratic leaders who wilted to the media-manufactured joke firestorm by demanding an apology from John Kerry last week. How many of them will do the right thing now, and admit that if Kerry hadn’t worked so tirelessly for our candidates across the nation (and for Jim Webb in the VA primary, in particular), this clean sweep of the Congress may not have occurred? I’m not holding my breath, but at least those of us paying attention know that it’s true.

I wrote to the election candidate traitors, plus Hillary, Landrieu, and even McCain regarding their betrayal of JK by unnecessary negative statements. Perhaps I could write to all those who remained silent rather than sending a message of support.

I know for a fact what Senator Kerry did for Webb here in Virginia. I remember when he posted right here on DD and I responded, and his response changed my thinking. I trust John Kerry and when he and Mr. Webb came together for the sake of the country, that said it all. I also know that I wasn’t the only mind that changed when JK came out in full support for Webb.

I have had full trust in JK since the day I decided to support him in ’03, he has never let me down.

I’m not holding my breath for leadership to recognize Kerry. They want Kerry out of the way for good and will do anything to accomplish that.

Hillary is too greedy to take majority leader as her and bill are too arrogant to think that she won’t be president. However, if they look at the pictures of her victory speech they will see bill was clearly not comfortable standing behind Hillary.
Hillary talking style is getting worse as she seems to be lecturing instead of speaking. How they could have stood there for whole speech is beyond me.

No Kerry is going to have to take what he wants.

I get the feeling congress will be a lonely place for Kerry.

As for bush olive branch I hope he doesn’t fall for it. Bush will act like he’s changed and behind the scenes start a fight with the dems and then when the dems fight back he will call them obstructionist.

Lieberman will probably switch party’s and bush will help him do it.

I’m glad the rethugs got taken down a peg or 3 but I’m bitter by the treatment Kerry has received after all he has done.

See the GOP and media played this joke story so much folks are getting tired of it and may not listen to Kerry and that why I said he needed to go out before election day.

This is a damn mess but he has to beat these pricks.

If Kerry hadn’t kept the focus on Iraq particular with the redeployment vote this summer Iraq wouldn’t had stuck in folks mind and the dems wouldn’t have gotten congress back without Iraq.

The bastards in dc owe Kerry thanks.
He took the blows for the party and called rove’s bluff. Reid and Schumer and Emanuel and Pelosi to didn’t want to talk about Iraq and trashed Kerry for doing it.

Not obama, hillary, biden, dodd, richardson, none of them took the blows for the party like Kerry did.

How quick they forget.

They are moving in for the kill folks and Kerry’s supporters can’t let that happen.

I am with you on that. Kerry took a lot of unfair blows for the party last week. Far more than those potential 08 hopefuls you mentioned.

Speaking of the Clintons, I was listening to a podacast of Bill’s interview on the Tom Joyner Morning Show from yesterday. Although Tom brought the “botched” joke up, Bill (I guess you could say) defended JK saying that it was GOP smear, media distraction from the serious issues and said Kerry earned his Purple Heart medals, therefore, he can bring it up if he wants to. He did not ask Kerry to apologize nor said that the joke was “inappropriate.”

Like Oprah is pushing Obama, Tom was trying to push Bill about Hillary running in 08. Bill said that it was her decision and that he will support whatever she does, but he was focused on her winning re-election.

I agree, this is messy. If Kerry wants this, he is going to have to fight and work hard for it. It’s clear that the DC Dems have an agenda, that is to undermine his efforts at any cost.

“However, if they look at the pictures of her victory speech they will see bill was clearly not comfortable standing behind Hillary.”

I’m glad I was not the only one who saw that last night. Bill was definitely uncomfortable. I wondered what that was about.

I think JK will be just fine in Congress, he knows how to make things happen – they all know that. The paranoid ones will see things clearer sooner.

As for Joe I don’t see him jumping ship. He’s a moderate Dem. Unless he really gets ostracized by fellow Dems in the Senate I think he’ll vote with the caucus as he has said he would. And who knows now with control to the Dems he might not be such a Bush kisser.

This is great in my opinion. It’s not about the politicians, it’s about the people and the power of the vote. The reminder of the strength of our democratic system.
I’ve seen a lot, but this is unique and one of the best experiences I’ve participated in. I can feel the new grass roots and the end for now of apathy in this country. Montana is a sign. Great win. All so important. Kerry will be our next pres so it’s a waste of anxiety.

The main thing now is that these people will be accountable to us if they want the WH in ’08. We said we wanted an end to corruption and the Iraq war. They will have to do what we say.

I’m in the camp that the Dems who pushed Kerry aside need to start saying something publicly NOW; right now all the attention is on them and if they say something positive it will be heard and the negative tone within the dem party towards the Senator will be neutralized.

There is a very melancholy feeling for me that “we won” everything but somehow lost our candidate in the process. I don’t want to be answering people about the “botched joke” for 2 years like the damn swiftboaters, and just like 2 years ago their false charges they gain traction over time. IMHO only, of course.

BTW I sure would like to get some info from the Kerry camp about what they intend to do/what they want bloggers to do in the near future. I think the enthusiasm is definitely there; I think people like us need direction now that the election is over.

I am feeling the same way. (No, I am not a defeatist) I am glad we won, but somehow we lost the candidate that made it happen in the process. The joke was a setback, but it felt more like a hard punch in the stomach.

I think another challenge for Kerry to prove that he isn’t “error prone.”

Other candidates supporters think we need a candidiate that won’t misspeak or commit gaffes. That, IMHO is not just fantasy, but wishful thinking. It also underestimates the power of a GOP controlled/owned broadcast media, thinking that they will go easy on anyone but Kerry. That can be a setup for disappointment in the long run.

I have confidence in KErry but I don’t have confidence in the msm, or DC dem leadership not to keep pounding the man.

Look, I know what I see and what I hear.
Yes, I think JK can come back from this but Javelin and Indie have a point.

For some damn reason people believe we need a candidate that isn’t error proned. Now the great bill clinton had errors but you’d be hard press to find anyone who would believe it.

Hillary trashed younger workers and yet she still didnt’ get the pounding that JK got.

I’ve realized for a long time the establishment doesn’t like KErry and they are scared of him.

But there are a many of voter out there who won’t take the time to realize that the establishment is trying to convince them to hate JK. So that’s is where my concern is the greatest.

That and the fact that the man will defend those who betray him (Hillary, Tester, McCaskill).

now I’m all for looking at the light at the end of the tunnel Jan 09 with a president Kerry presiding. I’m just getting a bit fustrated with the amount of $hit the man has to go through once again to get there and those freeloaders in his own party get off the hook.

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